Users of social networking services may form connections, associations, or other relationships with other users based on real-life interactions, online interactions, or a wide variety of other bases. For example, users may choose to connect with others who are in the same geographic location, who have a common circle of friends, who have attended the same college or university, etc. Existing social networking systems provide limited mechanisms for finding such connections.
In some instances, for example, social networking systems provide individuals with access to an introduction mechanism. The introduction mechanism may be as simple as showing the profiles of matched individuals through listings, social network visualizations, or through context-aware match alerts and introduction management tools that aim to encourage interpersonal contact. Without doing a specific search for a user, it is a common challenge for users to locate other users with whom they may wish to form a connection. Identifying users for specific types of connections is almost impossible. As such, needs exist for improved techniques for identifying and connecting users.